A Country with Nine Prime Ministers: China’s Global Management

Abstract

As global politics is increasingly dependent on elite interactions at the highest levels, China possesses unique human resources in this regard. With all nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) having the same status in the Chinese political hierarchy, they have all functioned as “prime ministers” in the country’s external relations. Instead of a country of one prime minister, China is a country of nine prime ministers.This research attempts to reveal China’s global management strategy through a systematic study of foreign visits by all nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee. It will look at what countries they visit, what deals they make with host countries, and evaluate the extent to which their visits constitute some coherent grand global strategy for China.